At the entrance to the Dragon Rock Secret Realm.
The young cultivator who emerged from the secret realm looked around, a trace of deep feeling flashing through his eyes.
Ten years of arduous cultivation; the world had weathered changes.
He wondered what changes had taken place outside.
Just then, a respectful voice rang out nearby, breaking his reverie:
"Congratulations on your great progress in cultivation, Chief Director. May blessings and longevity be yours forever."
A long-faced cultivator stood nearby, wearing an Earthly Treasures Hall Robe Artifact patterned with immortal mushrooms and spirit cranes.
He appeared to be a Nascent Soul guardian too, but was quite courteous toward him.
"Chief Director?"
Wang Ba paused slightly, then understood.
His position did seem to be Chief Director of the Earthly Treasures Hall.
At that thought, memories somewhat faded by ten years of arduous cultivation immediately grew clear.
He quickly gathered himself as well.
He nodded slightly:
"Thank you. Did Deputy Hall Master Ma ask you to wait here?"
The long-faced cultivator smiled.
"Your guess is correct, Chief Director. Deputy Hall Master Ma ordered me to wait here for you, saying you would emerge from seclusion in the next few days. Once you did, I was to invite you to the Earthly Treasures Hall."
Wang Ba raised an eyebrow.
"So urgent?"
After a moment's thought, he said, "Then let's head to the Earthly Treasures Hall first."
"By the way, what has changed within the sect during my years in seclusion?"
Though he asked, he knew Ma Shengxu had not sought him out in ten years, so presumably nothing particularly unusual had changed within the sect.
He was merely asking out of curiosity.
Sure enough, the long-faced cultivator shook his head.
"There have been no major upheavals within the sect lately, but quite a few